Wallflower

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"Yeah, I think he got her pregnant, or so she says." Bruce's upper lip curled as if the idea was distasteful to him.

"Oh dear. Do you think he did it on purpose, or do you suppose she did it to trap him?"

Bruce shook his head, "I honestly don't know. She's been chasing him pretty hot and heavy for a few months. But that's not what I wanted to tell you.

"Day after tomorrow, I'm going to report for my two weeks of duty and I'm going to stay after that. I'm going to join the Army as active duty. I'm still young enough and with my specialty, they'll take me pretty quick. I might get a few more college credits out of it, too."

"Is that good for you?"

"Yes, it is. I'm going to give Jeremy and Janet to Charlene as foster children." The younger McNabb son heard the gasp from the younger McNabb daughter, but he did not stop speaking. "That's part of why all four kids went on this trip with Mom and Dad. It's to give them a chance to be together day and night, without parents to show favoritism."

"Why, Bruce?" He heard the stress in her voice, but he did not slow down with his explanation.

Almost as if he did not want to answer her question, Bruce looked away from his sister as he continued, "When school starts, Jeremy can go to a full day of pre-kindergarten and Janet will be in school all day, just like Theresa and Josh. Charlene and Preston can't afford full-time childcare, but the military allowance I'll get for a family will help their budget. You do great with them, but the kids need a mother and a father. I don't want to leave them here with Thomas and Becky."

"But what about Mom and Dad? And I'm here, too."

Although the family had spoken of it, Bruce repeated his mother's plans. "You know Mom's only going to teach one more year and Dad says this next crop is going to be his last one. He's going to let Thomas have the farm.

"They've looked before, but they're determined to find a retirement community they like. It may take a year or two for them to actually make the move, but they're going to do it. I guess that will leave nothing for you and me on the farm, except as a place to live, and I am not going to live in the same house with that silly Becky Griffin.

"I'm going to do something with my life before I get too old to do this." This last statement came out much stronger than Bruce's other explanations. It was firm and positive, as if he was finally awakening from a long, slow spell of disinterest and undetermined direction.

The Wallflower sat in contemplation, barely able to control her tears, imagining what the house around her would look like in a year or two. It may take a little longer than that, but the plans had been made. They would happen this time because members of the McNabb family would take action.

Without excusing herself or saying another word to her brother, she took her glass of tea and went to sit in the big swing on the back porch, watching the very last of the sunshine disappearing from the sky.

***

"Hello Mare-Mar-Get." Benny held out his hand for the handshake he expected from his friend.

"Hello Mister Bennett Malone. Oh my, why do you have a bandage on your hand?" Mary Margaret carefully shook hands with the younger Malone brother.

"It's got a piece of stick in it. I caint get it out." Benny began his explanation, as he laboriously removed the gauze wrapped around the palm of his hand. He showed Mary Margaret the swollen pad at the base of his hand.

"Goodness," Mary Margaret held the offered hand and looked at the injury. "We can soak that after supper and I'll see if I can get the splinter out."

"Good deal," Benny agreed. "I ain't letting Gerald touch it. He'd hurt it."

Looking around Mary Margaret asked, "Where is your brother?"

"He's gonna milk both cows. He sent me for the milk cans. He says I cain't milk with my hand like this. 'Tain't clean, he says."

Although Mary Margaret knew she would likely have to explain it to Benny a second and perhaps a third time, she spoke slowly showing him everything he needed to know. "Oh, alright. Come inside for a minute and I'll show you where things are. You see this table? I always put the cans here as soon as I clean them. When you finish milking, you bring them back to the house and put the cans on the floor so the bottom of the can doesn't get the table dirty."

"Good deal," Benny offered his favorite expression of understanding and agreement, and took the cans to his brother. Mary Margaret returned to her kitchen to prepare the containers she would fill with fresh milk and began supper for the Malone brothers and herself. Bruce stayed in town to have a few beers with the coworkers he was leaving. He was not expected home until much later.

During the next two hours, Mary Margaret had supper on the table while she strained the milk, poured it into containers, and placed the containers in one of the large refrigerators. During their meal, Gerald asked Mary Margaret if she would be comfortable calling him Gerald, and she agreed she would like that if he would call her Mary Margaret.

Supper was over and the kitchen was clean with the dishwasher running. Mary Margaret went into the bathroom to take her shower. She opened the cabinet and saw a boxed roll of gauze, which reminded her of Benny's splinter.

Long accustomed to wearing cotton pajamas in winter or for summer a mid-thigh length oversized t-shirt after her shower, Mary Margaret returned to the den to remind Benny that he needed to soak his hand. If Gerald wanted to keep him company at the kitchen table, she would fix both men a bowl of peach cobbler with some ice cream on top.

"Mare-Mar-Get, your hair!" Benny's excited voice showed his surprise. "You gots lo-o-ong hair. I never seed it long before." Turning to his brother, Benny asked, "Ain't that pretty hair, Gerald?"

"Yes Benny, very lovely hair," Gerald agreed when he looked up from the magazine he was reading. In preparation for following Mary Margaret and his younger brother to the kitchen, Gerald returned his magazine to the briefcase he'd placed beside the comfortable chair he occupied. He paused for a moment to look at the young woman, enjoying what he saw.

Mary Margaret's hair, still wet from her shower, was hanging down her back and a few tendrils had fallen over her shoulder to dampen the front of her t-shit. In deference to company, she was wearing pajama bottoms, but had not put on a bra after her shower. One long, light brown, lazy curl had come to rest on her breast, curled enticingly around the tip and left the soft cotton damp, showing the darker skin of her nipple and areola. When she turned to go to the kitchen, both breasts swayed with a light bounce when she moved.

Unconsciously Gerald licked his lips as he stood. He smoothed down the upper thighs of his comfortable jeans, hoping for a little relief from the tingle in his groin, and waited for Benny to stand, too. The two men followed Mary Margaret to the kitchen and as he had done when he returned from milking, Gerald asked what he could do to help.

Mary Margaret turned from taking a tall plastic container from under the sink and told both men to be seated. She wanted to get the boric acid soak ready before she dished up the cobbler and ice cream. She helped Benny roll up the sleeve of his shirt and pushed his hand down in the hot water, telling him to keep taking it out then put it back into the water until he could tolerate the heat.

When she placed the dessert bowl in front of Benny, he repeatedly tried to take his hand out of the water to eat, so Mary Margaret made a game of feeding Benny, as if he was a small child. She soon had both men laughing.

"Gerald, we needs to take Mare-Mar-Get home with us," announced Benny.

"I think she probably likes it here, Benny. She has a lot of work to do." Gerald looked at Mary Margaret and smiled.

"Not for much longer, though," Mary Margaret added, her eyes filling with tears. Refusing to allow them to fall, she went to get a needle and her very sharp pointed tweezers, which she washed and cleaned with alcohol.

Gerald watched her working, "You think when your folks finally retire you won't have as much to do?"

"That's not all," she explained and mentioned that her older brother may marry and would eventually take over management of the farm. Bruce was leaving, and she also told Gerald that the two children would go to live with their other aunt and uncle.

"That means..." Gerald stuttered, and then thought for a moment about all the people who lived in the house and finally looked up at Mary Margaret.

Handing Benny a small towel, she told him, "Dry your hand, and turn around." She backed between his legs and took his arm, placing it between her body and her upper arm to hold it securely. She effectively blocked Benny from seeing what she was doing. She looked at Gerald a moment and said, "Distraction helps, here."

Gerald began talking to Benny as Mary Margaret squeezed the fleshy pad of Benny hand to give it a little numbing effect while she probed for the splinter. She managed to get the point of the needle under the splinter while Benny was answering Gerald's distracting questions. As she applied pressure to pull the splinter out, Benny let out a yelp of pain. He jerked his hand back as Mary Margaret squeezed her arm to hold him still.

All Benny managed to do was pull his hand back part way and in doing so, ended up with his hand around Mary Margaret's breast, squeezing it hard with his large hand. Mary Margaret let out a woof of pain, bent forward a little, but she did not let go of Benny's hand. She announced that she had the splinter partway out and finished removing it while Gerald kept Benny occupied. Benny soaked his hand a little longer and agreed that after his shower, he would accept a small bandage, rather than having his hand wrapped with gauze.

Benny went upstairs for his shower and Mary Margaret rinsed the dessert bowls and cleaned the kitchen. As she was drying her hands, Gerald asked, "Did he hurt you?"

"It's not bad."

"Mary Margaret," Gerald's voice was so serious she turned to look at him. "Did he hurt you?"

"I don't think so."

Gerald's voice rumbled, "Are you bruised?"

"I...I don't know."

"Come here," Gerald commanded and looked at her, defying her to refuse.

Looking him in the eyes, she walked toward Gerald and stopped in front of the kitchen chair where he sat. He put his hands on her waist and pulled her between his knees.

"I'm going to look." Gerald looked up at her and slowly began to lift her t-shirt. Mary Margaret swallowed and tried to look away, but could not take her eyes from Gerald's face. He lifted her shirt above the breast and turned her so the overhead light would shine on her. He may have seen her dark pink areola pucker and the even darker pink nipple begin to harden, but what he was looking at were marks on her from Benny's fingers.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry." Gerald's rough voice sounded pained as he leaned forward without thought. As if she were a small child who had sustained an injury which needed parental sympathy, he kissed the inside of her breast where faint marks from Benny's fingers showed against her pale pink skin.

Her swiftly indrawn breath startled Gerald. He dropped the front of her shirt and put his hands against her back, pulling her closer while he buried his face between her breasts. Yielding to the intimacy of the moment, she put her arms around his head and held him while his hot breath filtered through the fabric of her shirt.

It may have been instinct or a natural reaction to the nearness of another human or the prospect of a soft woman ... when Gerald slowly stood, pushing his chair away with the backs of his legs, he put his arms around Mary Margaret and held her close to him. Almost as naturally, she had put her arms around him. When he looked down at her as she looked up at him, it was the next natural thing for him to lean a little lower to rest his lips against hers.

It is seldom that a Wallflower is kissed. Just as seldom do men, who keep themselves apart from others, have the opportunity to kiss a woman. However, for the first time in her adult life, a man thoroughly kissed Mary Margaret. The kiss came with gentleness, slowly building in intensity and enjoyment. It was a kiss that grew in hunger and receded into pleasure for both of them. He held her face, tilted her head as she lifted her chin. His mouth moved to the softness of her cheek and she turned her head. He rested his lips against her neck and she did not pull away from him.

Gerald dropped his hands to rest on her shoulders, cleared his throat, and asked, "Mary Margaret, will you please go to bed?"

"I need to take care of Benny's..."

"Please," Gerald interrupted. "I'll tend to Benny and lock up for the night. I need...just go to bed, please." His last word was in such a pleading tone, she listened and turned to do as he asked.

** ** **

While breakfast was not uncomfortable, it was rather quiet, with the exception of Benny who was his usually chatty self with Mare-Mar-Get. Bruce had gotten up early, carrying his bag downstairs, telling Gerald an extra thank you before leaving. He didn't know how long he'd be gone, but he promised to write letters to his children and Mary Margaret.

Although she seemed distracted when she asked, Gerald, after considering for a moment, agreed to allow Benny to spend the day with Mary Margaret because she planned to pack jars with pickled beets and Benny could carry the cases of already filled jars to the cellar for her. Gerald left shortly after milking the cows and eating breakfast. He had his own animals to care for and farm work to do.

"Good morning, Mary Margaret," Trudy said when she walked in the back door. "What are we working on today?".

"Hi, Trudy. Sit down for a cup of coffee. Benny should be in shortly with the first batch of beets."

The three worked steadily, stopping only for a few minutes to sit and relax, eat a simple lunch, and then finish the jobs they had begun earlier in the day. Benny displayed his bandaged hand and gave Trudy a very good description of how Mary Margaret removed the splinter. Benny ducked his head, and asked Trudy quietly, "Miz Powell, did you know Mare-Mar-Get has lo-o-ong hair?"

Trudy smiled and glanced at Mary Margaret's neat hairdo, a smooth bun on top of her head, "She does? It doesn't look long to me."

"'at's 'cause she gots it all on top," Benny acknowledged. "I 'member Pastor Widener preaching 'bout a woman's hair."

"What did Pastor Widener say?"

Benny thought for a moment then shook his head, "I don't 'member, but it was pretty, like Mare-Mar-Get's hair. This morning, I told Gerald we need to take her home with us."

"Now, that is a good idea," agreed Trudy either because she wasn't listening to Benny, who talked all day long, or because she did not understand what he meant. "What did Gerald say?"

Benny volunteered, "He said he'd ask her."

Mary Margaret turned to look at Trudy and shook her head, not wanting the conversation to go any farther. Benny didn't always understand some of the things he heard or the answers to questions he asked. Instead, in an effort to change the subject, Mary Margaret asked, "Trudy, are you going to the county park on Saturday?"

"Yes, Pete and I will be there. I'm taking fried chicken and a chocolate cake. What are you going to take?"

"I probably won't go," Mary Margaret shook her head. "If I give you two jars of bread and butter pickles, will you take them for me?"

"Why aren't you going, dear?"

"Oh well, none of the family is here, so I'll just skip it this time." As Mary Margaret finished her statement, she looked up and greeted Gerald walking in the back door.

"Good evening, Gerald. If Benny hasn't eaten all of them, I may have a cinnamon roll left. Would you like one with a cup of coffee?"

"Sounds delicious, Mary Margaret," he agreed and walked across the room to shake hands and greet Trudy Powell, asking after the health of her brother, Pete.

As soon as Gerald was seated with his cinnamon roll and coffee, ever the busybody, Trudy told Gerald, "With all of her family gone, you should take Mary Margaret to the county park on Saturday, Gerald."

Mary Margaret looked at Gerald, a slight look of fear on her face, "Oh! No, no," she exclaimed. She turned to Trudy and explained, "He will want to stay for the dance, and I don't need to be out that late."

"Well, that's good," Trudy countered. "You can just stay for the dance, too."

"That won't do, Trudy," Mary Margaret shook her head as she filled another jar with slices of peeled red beets. "I don't dance."

Gerald looked at Mary Margaret, "You don't enjoy dancing, or you don't know how?"

Mary Margaret shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. I've never really been to a dance."

"Oh goodness, child," Trudy patted Gerald on the arm, "And we have the best dancer in the county right here. We can fix that, right now. You just turn around here and watch a minute."

Trudy walked across the kitchen, turned on the radio, already tuned to the local station for the early morning weather report, but also known for playing five-in-a-row country and western songs. The older woman took Gerald's hand and pulled lightly until he was standing and stepped closer to the man.

"Show her how it's done, Gerald," the older woman encouraged.

A minute later, Trudy was stepping away from her dance with Gerald and pushing Mary Margaret across the room. After Trudy's tiny shove, Gerald caught the young woman in his arms. He laughed, "Easy, Trudy. Let me do this."

Trudy turned and called on Benny to carry her box of jars to her car, waving at Gerald and Mary Margaret, "You two young folks have fun."

Mary Margaret tried to step back, but Gerald kept his arm around her. "Stay here," he said quietly. "I'll make this as easy as I can." She nodded and he explained, "Put your arm along mine and rest your hand on my shoulder. I'm going to hold your other hand and I'll use it to steer you."

She nodded, "You're sure about this?"

"Yes," Gerald smiled, "You know how to count and you understand music. You sing in the choir. Now, don't think. Just look up here and move with me."

After a few steps Gerald encouraged, "Come a little closer. It will be easier." He moved his hand farther down her back and pushed against her until she was just barely touching him. "That's better, huh?"

"Yes."

When the song stopped, and the next one started, Gerald spoke quietly in her ear. "Alright, this is a waltz, it's in the count of three and the steps are different, but you follow well. Don't watch our feet, just let me guide you."

As Gerald steered her around the kitchen, Mary Margaret slowly began to relax. After the third song, Gerald stopped dancing and stepped back. "I'll go milk the cows and we can practice a little more after supper. You need to change your shoes if you have something with leather soles. It will be easier for you to move."

* * *

However, it was much later in the evening, after tending to the milk and supper, that Mary Margaret took her shower. She felt a little foolish walking into the kitchen in pajamas and her Sunday shoes but was soon busy with soaking Benny's hand while he and Gerald enjoyed the last of the peach cobbler.

While Benny took his shower and Mary Margaret rinsed the dessert dishes, Gerald turned on the radio and turned off the overhead kitchen light. After drying her hands, Mary Margaret hung the dishtowel on the wooden rack where it would dry overnight. Gerald turned off the light above the kitchen sink.

Before she could ask, Gerald said, "There isn't usually much light on a dance floor. I'm going to hold you close so you won't look at your feet."

As the kitchen radio played through the late one-hour program of songs styled as "Music for Lovers," Gerald danced with Mary Margaret, holding her closer and closer, until they were easily moving around the room. A couple of times when she would have moved away from him, he tightened his arm around her -- and twice put his hand on the back of her head, encouraging her to rest her cheek against his shoulder.